Page 88 of Cozen

The blonde answered one question when one of Jett’s sons—the youngest—passed by the library entryway. “I wonder if Dash is ever going to move out of the second wing. Silas moved out long before he ever got married.”

“He lives there—just him?” Cozen asked.

She didn’t like to prod Jett with too many questions. She could not afford to raise his suspicions with her for any reason. But she was getting work done—she was learning about Jett, parts of his home, and he was letting her into his life.

Just like she needed.

One step closer.

“Yep,” the blonde said. “Just him. It’s closed off from this wing with a hallway and a locked door. Sometimes it’s left open, but you know, Jett doesn’t like for people to wander around beyond the bottom floor very much, or out on the back of the property. Dash, on the other hand, loves to show off the place.”

Cozen heard the woman, but she wasn’t really listening. She had heard a couple of important things, and tucked the information away to keep.

One—the second wing was a useless zone to her. She doubted anything over there was going to help her find the Astor ring if Dash had practically taken over the wing, and lived there full-time.

Two—Jett kept his people, including close friends—downstairs. Or outside. He didn’t want them going upstairs to the second floor of the wing. She suspected that was because they were his private quarters. His real home, essentially. Bedrooms, and offices. Spaces he used to work, or do business in a private manner. And since she knew his work as a black market broker could be sensitive, he probably didn’t want people stumbling on anything.

Upstairs.

That’s where it’ll be.

That’s where she would find the ring.

But where upstairs?

That was the better question.

“I think we better get back to the party,” the blonde repeated. Her gaze traveled upward as she added, “I heard Jett doesn’t invite people back when he finds out they were snooping through his home.”

Cozen found what the woman was looking at. A camera tucked into one of the corners in the ceiling. It’s positioning made it hard to notice at first, but Cozen had been aware of it since damn near the moment she came into the room.

She was in tune to things like security cameras. She had been taught to look for them first, recognize possible angles it was capturing, and then work accordingly in a space. That was why she had been careful not to make it seem like she was doing anything more than just looking around at the books when she came into the library.

It was not the first camera she noticed, and it wasn’t even the fifth. There wasn’t a camera in every room or hallway, but in the main rooms, and the large dining room. A hallway or two, as well. Places where people would be, she noticed.

Jett didn’t trust anyone.

Rightfully so—look at her.

She was more curious, though, if someone was watching the cameras all the time, or if they simply just went back and checked the footage after events or gatherings. That was an important detail to know, should she need to use it.

“There you are, darling.”

Cozen plastered on one of her brightest smiles at Jett’s voice coming from the entryway of the library. She found him standing there in his three-piece suit with his own smile. Although it looked like he had loosened his tie a bit.

“Sorry if I worried you,” Cozen said, and then waved at the library. “I couldn’t help but explore.”

“And let me guess, you got lost in the library?”

“What woman doesn’t love books, Jett?”

“Ah, I see.”

The woman beside her shot Cozen a smile. “I will go find my husband.”

“Thanks for walking around with me.”

“It was very nice to meet you, Cozen.”